Tonight, I brag. In a modest, spiritual way, of course.
The latest issue of my church body’s magazine, The Lutheran Ambassador, contains a review of my novel Hailstone Mountain. The writer of the review compares it to biblical narratives, saying:
He manages to make the characters both likable and realistic, simultaneously saint and sinner, wrestling against evil around them and wrestling within themselves. Their lives are raw, sometimes offensively so, but also fully human. Like the Bible, the books are not rated G, but I would rate them five stars because somehow Walker manages to make God the hero and Savior rather than the human characters.
I’m not sure whether it’s a good thing or a bad thing that it never occurred to me before that God is the hero of the Erling books. But having that said is about the highest accolade I can think of for them.
It should be mentioned, in full disclosure, that the author of the review, Pastor Brian Lunn of Upsala, Minnesota, is a friend of mine.
But still.
[Addendum: Dave Lull informs me (to my astonishment) that this review can actually be seen online, here: Lutheran Ambassador May 2025 by Lutheran Ambassador – Issuu ]
Excellent!
And, if you are not yet widely enough known as novelist in your own church body, this should help get future readers there justly interested in seeing for themselves.
And, thanks for the link!
Tangentially, not at all my impression of everything I’ve read by Sulpicius Severus about St. Martin (in Dutch translation)! (though perhaps a good nudge to reread him). Meanwhile, I have stumbled belatedly into the astonishing experience of making the acquaintance of Notker the Stammerer’s Life of Charlemagne in Arthur James Grant’s translation thanks to LibriVox audiobooks. (Among other things, a very interesting addition to the background of the ‘matter’ of ‘Charlemagne-style’ kingship in your Erling saga.)
Maybe we can get a flame war going between Sulpicious supporters and opponents!
Sweet! Good review. Clearly, a discerning reader.